We are excited to welcome Deb Groebner to our YES! team! Deb is our new Southern YES! Coordinator!
Hello! I’m Deb! I am inspired by the courage of young environmental leaders like Autumn Peltier and Greta Thunberg. I am excited to apply my experience and creativity toward helping kids grow skills, knowledge, relationships, and confidence needed to embrace their own version of environmental stewardship! I look forward to working with YES! teams, other students, coaches, and partner organizations across southern Minnesota!
Before joining YES! in September 2019, I worked for 20+ years as an educator in formal and recreational learning settings in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Most recently I taught youth and adults about fishing and aquatic resources with the MinnAqua program at the MN Department of Natural Resources. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a master’s degree in human dimensions of natural resources (2001) and a bachelor’s degree in resource management, majoring in biology and environmental education / interpretation (1995). My husband Rob teaches high school science and is passionate about electric vehicles; we live in North Mankato on a bluff overlooking the Minnesota River Valley. Standing in the prairie I grew on, you might catch a glimpse of bison grazing across the river at the Minneopa State Park! In my spare time I practice and teach encaustic painting, a technique that involves fusing layers of melted beeswax to a wooden board with heat.
Major funding for the YES! program was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
